News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-11-10
THE PRETTY OPERATOR.
NIGHTS DoINGs IN NEW YORK TELE-
GRAPH OFEICP


GRAPH OFFICE.
When Miss Betsy McKeeyer tripped
into the big telegraph Office near Del
monlco's yesterday, she was ten minutes
late, and the ink-stained man who was
% duty looked at her reproachfully.
I'm orful sorry, Billy, said the girl,
as she whipped off her hat and jacket
and tied on neat little apron; ''but got
lookin' in tn windows and forgot"
'Oh, l amt all tore up the back about
1t, answered William, unconsciously
Modified by the big and beaming brown
eyes, ''only it's after four now-oh, bv
the way, that yaller haired dude was
asking for you"
"Wha'd'e say, " asked the girl, pinning
the bib of her apron up on her plump
shoulders and peeking into the mirror,
which instantly flashed back at her
pretty face blushing anxiously.
He asked when you were comm on.
and told him at four O'clock and that
you'd stay till midnight. Then he said:
'Oh, how devastatinly Iuvly,' an give
me two big seegars an ticket for tn
theeayter -
William stalked out, and the pretty
little telegraph clerk ran her nimble
fingers over the files of messages, chatted
with her fellow-clerks an instant. and
then took up her place at the receiving
counter. The moroSe William came back
to say that if she was afraid the dude
would annoy her when she went home at
midnight, he would send his brother to
her.
Don't you fear, Billy" said the Girl,
annually. Il amt to be scared by ali the !
dudes IN town. Pm used to them by
this time ,
William again departed, and moment
las solemn young man, with yellow
halr and attire of advanced cut, drifted
IN. The other clerks glanced at Betsy's
admlrer and then at one another The
arrival took up telegraph blank and
said, huskiIy:
Good mawnin'."
No answer, but a slight inclination of
the head and defiant stare
Pleasant mawnin'-do you chawnce to
have a Penci9'' p
There's one by the ink-stand," said
Betsy, shortly
Pardon me, but there's none heah, :"
said the youth solemnly, purloining the
pencil and staring hard at the soft brown
eyes through his glass. The girl got him
one; but as he reached for it the old .
pencil fell from his sleeve. They both F.
laughed, and then the dude was pushed .
aside by flustered man who rushed in.
sent the following dispatch collect to .
Boston, and withdrew:
Forward a draft for seven hundred and |
nifty at once or | will run in. If YOU can't ,
raise that amount, send M five dollars by !
telegraph b. F.n
The yellow haired man then handed in !
his dispatch with an air of intense i'm
portance. 1t read:
''To C. Edgerly Thompkins,
DelmonicoS New York
A eorking brown eye is mailing good
thing c. E. T.
The girl took the dispatch, bit her
lip, and asked, after the accustomed
formula:
''Iour name, please"
&c Edgawly Thompkins.
''Address?"
'.Delmonico's."
''Fifteen cents, please"
This being settled, Mr.. Thompkins
withdrew with great satisfaction at the
progress he was making, and took up a
commanding position at Delmonico's
where he could be seen awaiting his dis
patch, fortified against ennui by a vast
and corpulent cigar.
Meanwhile, a youngish man, with some
pretensions to sweldom, climbed out of
dOg-cart at the door and, wandering
desolately into the Office, said to the
girl, plaintively:
''Slow in town now, isn't it?''
''Yes, sir"
"Ghastly," said the man; "all my
friends are abroad. Pm goin' to wire
um"
Betsy handed him a pad of cable
blanks and, after vast amount of labor,
he produced and sent the following:
'To Duke Boufort,
Pelican Club London
All there!
T. Biggerly"
Rue de Rivoli, Paris, France.
Yours truly,
T.B"
ITO Tommy S. Warren,
American Legation, Rome, Italy
Saw your gal in Jimmie Paid eford's
buggy to day. Great joke on you-ha! ha!
No Sig"
After paying small fortune for this
the gentleman climbed into his cart again
and drove toward the park, looking
tranquilized and much improqed in |
spirits
Mr.. c. Edgerly Tompkins then hur-
ried in and sent message to Delmon
ico's:
Telegram just received. You're right
about brown eyes, but the effect is much en-
HANGED by staving red lips and lovely face "
Miss Betsy took this dispatch and had
just finished counting the words, when a
strongly built man. with commanding
eye and manner of great incisiveness,
entered. The girl hurried to the little
gate and threw it open, as she asked
eagerly:
''Are you in a hurry, sir?"
"Yes, " said the man shortly, bat with
a half-smile at the pretty and half-scared
face.
s'You can talk right to ar operator if
/. YOU like " she continued
Inspector Byrnes looked at the opera
tor whom she indicated by nod of her
head, glanced out of the window at an
unshaven and dusty-look ng person who
was ounging on the end Of truck, and
beckoned to him. The unshaven one
hurried in, threw off his coat and sat
down in the deposed operators place
with an air of bu4iness. He was ser
geant of detectives Little Betsy pulled
a screen around the two men, and for
half an hour the inspector talked softly
into his aids ear, while the sergeant
ratified the key in mastery fashion and
sent kilograms lover half the civilized
globe.
Byrnes was picture as he sat there.
His face is keen and thoughtful looking,
his moustachc heavy and his eyebrows
thick, but his eyes light up with wonder
full expression. His power in New York |
is simply astounding. He rose when he
had finished his dispatches, waited till |
his aid had gone back to the tail-end of